In the days when Facebook pages were static, mostly-useless afterthoughts, many users would opt to set up a “profile” for their company (ie: First Name: BOOST Last Name: Social Media) in an effort to create a more interactive way for the company to communicate with its fans which, in the case of a profile versus a business/fan page, would be the company’s “friends”. With a profile you can “like” other company pages, comment on posts by individuals or companies, and connect with other users as “friends”.

In the case of the original business page, you were relegated to commenting as an individual user – the administrator of the page – rather than as the company itself. With the most recent update to Facebook pages, you can use Facebook as a “page”, rather than as your individual profile. You can comment, share articles, and post Wall updates with the identity of your page, rather than as an individual. As a result, this makes the need to create a “profile” for a company unnecessary.

READ THE FULL POST

These days, everyone and their dog (sometimes, literally) has a Facebook fan page. But, the majority of those who do have one are still not doing it well. In that regard, it’s like web sites in general. People think having something is better than nothing and most of the time, we’ll tend to agree.  However, there are a lot of examples of design-gone-wrong that leaves one thinking it would have been better for a company to sit the game out, rather than throw a completely unprofessional web site out there, for all the world to see.

But, we digress…and, thankfully, Facebook maintains pretty strict control over the layout of their site, unlike the eyesore that is (was?) MySpace profile pages. Egads!

Recently, Facebook updated the layout and functionality of their business pages (aka fan pages), opening the door for more consistent interaction between a company and its fans as well as other companies. With the new version of the Facebook page, you can opt to use Facebook as a page of which you are a designated administrator. While logged in as the page, you can “like” other company pages, respond to comments left on your business page and make posts, all as your company versus an individual administrator.

READ THE FULL POST